Get a Taste of Fig Heaven

Fig Heaven — it's the title of my friend Marie Simmons' cookbook and what I think whenever I see an abundance of fresh figs. This year, our local Brooklyn harvest didn't happen because our winter was so harsh. Luckily, it's peak season in California, and baskets of figs for reasonable prices have arrived in markets, so I'm in fig mode.

One of these years I will get to Figfest, the August celebration hosted by the California Fig Advisory Board, where 750 fig aficionados and chefs sample fig varieties and recipes, dine on an all-fig menu, and generally roam among figs. This year's People's Choice Award went to Trelio restaurant's Black Mission Fig Arancini With Fig Mostarda and Bacon Vinaigrette — sounds yummy! Check out the website for this and more winning fig recipes.

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Meanwhile on the home front, I keep it simple when cooking with figs, so their flavor really shines. I grew up eating Figs and Prosciutto: stem figs, quarter them, and grind on some pepper. Drape slices of prosciutto over the top. The ultimate three-ingredient recipe!

If you want to riff on that, try Grilled Figs with Mozzarella and Prosciutto: Cut each fig almost in half, stuff with a piece of fresh mozzarella or gorgonzola, wrap in a strip of prosciutto, and grill over medium high until the cheese melts. Serve as poppers, on grilled bread slices, or atop a salad.

A few more great fig recipes:

Walnut and Fig Saute
Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet until golden. Add 1/2 cup walnuts and toast over medium heat until fragrant; remove and set aside. Trim stems from figs, and quarter enough fruit to fill 2 cups. Add to skillet, and cook until figs begin to soften and give off their juice. Serve figs and walnuts over vanilla ice cream.

1. Preheat grill to medium-low. Shape each dough piece into an 8-inch round about 1/8-inch thick; place on 2 oiled cookie sheets.
2. Place 2 pieces of dough at a time, greased side down, on grill over medium-low heat. Grill 2 to 3 minutes or until grill marks appear on underside and dough stiffens (press dough down if it puffs). With tongs, turn crust over.
3. Quickly arrange a fourth of figs and a fourth of cheese on each crust. Cover grill and cook pizza 4 to 6 minutes longer or until cheese melts and underside is evenly browned and cooked through. With tongs, transfer pizza to cutting board. Sprinkle each pizza with 1 tablespoon walnuts and drizzle with 1 tablespoon honey.
4. Repeat with remaining dough and toppings. Serve immediately.